From the Top Shelf - Juliette Takes the Cane

Last week we saw some horseplay in the girls' locker room at Carstairs, which was interrupted by the appearance of Miss Williams. She sent Juliette off to fetch a cane from her office, and we can only hope that Juliette chose the right one.

Juliette had never seen a punishment cane before and when the word 'cane' had been mentioned, she had visualised something like the sticks of bamboo she had seen her mother use to support flowers in the garden, stiff and brittle. But the rods from which Juliette had made her selection were not like that at all. They were a darker colour for a start, and had a kind of oily sheen to them. The knotted segments seemed to be much closer together than on her mother's gardening canes as well. Perhaps this was what gave the cane in Wendy's hands its remarkable flexibility, which she was demonstrating at this very moment by bending the stick almost into a horse-shoe shape.

"My goodness, you did make a good choice," Wendy smiled at Juliette. "Have you ever been caned before? Either of you?"

Both girls mumbled that they had not.

"Well, let me explain, for the class's benefit as well. The cane which Juliette has selected is best Malayan rattan, my clear favourite."

She sounds as if she is describing a favourite toy, Juliette thought, feeling her bottom-cheeks tingle in anticipation of what was to come.

"As you can see," Wendy continued gleefully, "it is very springy - indeed one might also say 'whippy'. The last word carried a heavy stress and she chuckled at her own irony. Her point was emphasised by the whoosh of the cane as one end was released. "Come, Juliette, let us try it on you first."

Juliette's feet assumed a life of their own and propelled her the few short steps to where Wendy Williams awaited her, flexing the cane in both hands.

Wendy looked at Juliette carefully, as if she were a tailor measuring a client, then made a rapid adjustment to the height of the hurdle, raising it to just level with Juliette's waist. Juliette stood patiently, waiting to be told her next move. "You know the drill, I think," Wendy said grimly, "so don't be shy - assume the position."

Juliette looked down at the circle of faces around her. What could she read into those eyes, all watching her? Sympathy perhaps, but also a certain eagerness, a wish to see one of their own in a humiliating position, each one just glad it wasn't them. Well if they wanted a show, she wouldn't disappoint them. Better to go out with a flourish than a whimper, however embarrassing it was.

Juliette took a deep breath, inserted a thumb in the fold of material at her waist and, with a flourish, as if removing a cloak, whipped off the towel. With all the bravado she could muster, she stood directly in front of the hurdle and slowly folded the towel, making no attempt to hide her nakedness.

Slowly and carefully, she placed the folded towel on to the top rail of the hurdle, forming a thick pad across the rough-looking wood. Then she paused, as if trying to come to a decision, her lips pursed. Although there had been no instruction, she crossed her arms in front of her, grasped the hem of her T-shirt, and in one swift movement pulled it up over her head and flung it in front of her in a gesture of defiance as she bent forward across the hurdle completely naked. If her classmates wanted a show, she'd damn well give them one!

Head down and doubled over, she looked through the open vee of her own legs and found that she was looking directly at Lucy, sitting in the front row of the audience. Reaching down, Juliette took a firm grip on the lower rail of the hurdle and shifted her feet slightly to achieve the most comfortable position she could. The hurdle had been adjusted so that she had to extend her arms to full stretch and rise up slightly on the balls of her feet to get a good grip.

Juliette allowed her weight to come down more onto the makeshift pad of the towel. It was not very comfortable; the blood was rushing to her head. Her breasts were not very comfortable either, as she hung in this inverted position. Trust Lucy to get the best view of her bottom under punishment. No doubt she'd had a pretty good view when Juliette had been judicially strapped too. She wondered if the sight of her bare arse turned Lucy on. The thought gave her a little frisson of excitement. She hadn't thought of it like that before.

As if in subconscious self-defence, Juliette allowed her mind to be distracted from her current predicament. Why shouldn't the sight of her body excite the other girls? she thought. After all she had a good figure. Her breasts, though not large, were firm and very nicely shaped. The rest of her was very trim, with a slim waist and a very flat stomach. It was not exactly a modest train of thought, but Juliette was suddenly excited by the fact that she had every reason to be proud of her body. In a sudden fit of bravado, she looked Lucy straight in the eye from her inverted position, and winked.

Wendy Williams stood square to the hurdle, and laid the cane very lightly across the centre of Juliette's taut curves. The feather-light touch of the cane, cold and hard and knobbly, right across the centre of her bottom-cheeks, brought Juliette's wandering thoughts back to reality with a jolt. Here it comes, then, she thought, closing her eyes. She sensed Wendy adjusting her position slightly, so that one knot in the rattan was centred exactly over the crack of her bottom.

There was a tense silence for a few seconds. Juliette wanted to scream; what on earth was Wendy waiting for?

"Joanna," Wendy spoke softly but the single word carried an undertone of menace.

"Yes, miss?"

"I see that you have left your calling-card on your friend here." She was referring to the single imprint of a gym shoe which stood out scarlet on Juliette's otherwise creamy-white skin.

"Miss." Joanna could not deny the evidence, plain for all to see.

"When the time comes, in a few moments, for you and Juliette to change places, will we observe a similar marking on your bottom?"

"No, miss."

"I see. Yes, indeed, I do see. Very well then."

The cane came back slowly and Juliette's bottom visibly clenched. Lucy noted that Wendy did not seem to lift the cane terribly far; the action was all in her wrist and in the natural whip of the cane.

There was a swish and crack! of rattan against flesh. A thin white line appeared instantly, bisecting the scarlet shoe print, turning almost as quickly to a darker crimson. There was a sibilant rustle from the class as several girls realised they had not drawn breath since Juliette had first begun to fold the towel over the hurdle. Juliette had not made a sound, but somehow her entire body posture had changed, relaxed, although the actual movement was imperceptible. The cane was already drawn back, ready. The swish and crack! were repeated. A second line formed below the first. This time Juliette reacted with a little sound, midway between a gasp and a groan, and visibly rocked. Lucy could see the points of Juliette's nipples hanging down between her splayed out arms, and they had definitely shuddered.

The third stroke landed and Juliette let out an "Oooohh", her buttocks wiggling up and down as she did so. Wendy rested the cane very softly across Juliette's bottom, below the three closely-spaced lines of red, and waited until the movement ceased.

Wendy did not seem to need to put much effort into her stroke; she just pulled the cane gently back from its resting place on Juliette's tense moons and flicked her wrist. Lucy saw the rattan curve back, away from its target, then whip back with lightning speed and a whoosh of parted air.

Juliette's yell drowned out the sound of the cane impacting on taut flesh.

"I do believe the lesson is beginning to sink in," Wendy observed wryly, and loudly enough for the class to hear. "Am I correct, Juliette?"

"Yes, oh yes. Oh please don't cane me any more, Miss Williams." Juliette gasped, seemingly in real distress.

"Oh I think you can manage a couple more," Wendy replied. "After all, that's only four; tradition rather demands six."

Juliette said nothing, just took a deep breath and gripped the bar even tighter.

"Now, I want you right up on tip-toe, please, young lady. That's it, really curled right over, bottom right up. Come along, try harder or I might be tempted to add a few for non-cooperation."

Lucy was aghast at this prolonging of the punishment, but Juliette had no choice but to stretch even further over the hurdle. At full extent, her calf and thigh muscles clearly defined, her bottom proffered up and boldly striped, she was totally vulnerable. Again the cane rested softly on a fresh white area of flesh, directly across the tops of her legs this time.

The two strokes came down, one directly over the other. Wendy, sensing that her victim could not hold the extended position for long, had been mercifully swift. Her aim was impeccable. Instead of the expected two red lines there was a single broader one, emphasising the shadow of a crease in the flesh where Juliette's bottom met her thighs.

"All right, you may get up now."

Wendy looked across the class, so attentively silent, at Joanna. "Go and get dressed, Juliette, and hurry back here as quickly as you can. You will find that Joanna is waiting."

Next week we, along with Juliette, will enjoy Joanna's punishment.

If you would like to re-read the entire story, go to this post - From the Top Shelf - scroll down to A Degree of Discipline, and you will see all the posts from the story, in order.